In Python, load the data with pandas and compute return rate from column totals for the whole period, or row by row for each month. On the sample data it returns 6.32.
Return rate = Orders returned ÷ Orders delivered × 100
What you need
Return rate is the percentage of delivered orders that customers sent back: returned orders divided by orders, times 100. You need these columns, here from the sample file monthly.csv:
- df["orders"]: orders
- df["orders_returned"]: orders returned
Step by step
- Install pandas (pip install pandas) and save monthly.csv next to your script.
- Run the script. The first print shows one row per month, the second the figure for the whole period.
- To use your own data, rename your columns to match, or change the names in the code.
The code
import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_csv("monthly.csv")
# Each month
df["return_rate"] = df["orders_returned"] / df["orders"] * 100
print(df[["month", "return_rate"]].round(2))
# Whole period: add up the parts first, then divide
return_rate_total = df["orders_returned"].sum() / df["orders"].sum() * 100
print(round(return_rate_total, 2))
What you should get
Run against the sample data, the code above returns these values (in percent):
| Month | orders | orders_returned | return_rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 702 | 41 | 5.84% |
| 2026-02 | 748 | 47 | 6.28% |
| 2026-03 | 812 | 45 | 5.54% |
| 2026-04 | 771 | 58 | 7.52% |
| 2026-05 | 846 | 52 | 6.15% |
| 2026-06 | 917 | 60 | 6.54% |
| Whole period | 4,796 | 303 | 6.32% |
303 ÷ 4,796 × 100 = 6.32%
Notes for Python
- Dividing by zero in pandas does not raise an error: it gives inf or NaN. Check with df.replace([float("inf"), -float("inf")], float("nan")) before averaging or plotting.
- For the whole period, sum the columns first and then divide. df[col].mean() of the monthly results weights a small month the same as a large one.
- pct_change(), groupby() and resample() extend the same idea to weekly data, product categories and daily rows.
Where return rate misleads
- Returns and undelivered (RTO) orders are different. Keep them apart.
- Count by order or by unit, and say which. A one-item return from a five-item order is 100% of orders returned in one view and 20% of units in the other.
- Returns lag sales. Match them to the month of the original order.
The full explanation, with a calculator, is on the Return rate page.
Same metric, other tools
Related metrics in Python (pandas)
Learn more about Python
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- How to find out what changed in your sales data — 2 min read
About the data on this page
The figures come from a small made-up dataset, printed above in full so you can check every number by hand. Download it as monthly.csv. The results are computed from those rows when the page is built, and the Excel formulas, SQL and Python on these pages are run against the same rows before publishing, so the code and the answers agree.
To get these numbers from your own data without writing formulas, try AnalyzeIt: ask in plain words and it shows the working behind every figure.
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